"D-Surfer needs a bloody medal for all his great play by plays, because doing them for this team must be so damn hard and beyond frustrating."
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Actually, a thousand rolls of rolaids or tums would suffice nightly. After last night about made me puke, I thought I was going to crap my pants with the runs today, but didn't.
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I watched this game in its entirety on MLB Network, recorded on my DVR which helped go back and look at things again. When done, I was left with 7 pages of notes to make comments.

Although the scoreboard showed we got 1 run in the first, you are right. We did NOT score in the first.
Segura popped up on the right side, Cervelli and Freese went after it and collided and the ball was not caught. Segura would later cross the plate. "score" is not an appropriate word here. Clearly, it was Freese ball and Cervelli has been around long enough to know better, but for some reason he had an ego rush and was determined to catch it even if it meant running into an oncoming train. Bourn then smashed a double into right, because Cole was big-time irked over the dropped popup. So that left runners on second and third 0 out. Goldy made 1 out. Then Lamb hit a fairly hard grounder to Kang at third.
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As Dave Brown was then became totally bewildered, Kang threw home for an easy out. He and Walk couldn't begin to understand why Bourn tried to score, and thought Bourn made a baserunning mistake. They were not aware of the Diamondback Way: go on contact regardless. So, instead of second and third, 2 out, we have first and third 2 out. This enabled the Pirates to get a force at second, which otherwise would not have been possible. As it was, the third out recorded and the Dbacks had an early "lead", due to the gift run.
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don't want to make these posts too long.

In the second, Owings hit one to left center for a hit, and I thought Cutch would be able to cut it off and hold him to a single. He seemed a little slow and Owings turned it into a double. Tomas then hit a weak comebacker to Cole. So much for moving the runner and his ability to hit to the right side to make it possible. Corbin then doubled, but since the ball was almost catchable, Owings had to stop on third. second and third 1 out
Segura was next, our best hitter, and you'd think he'd at least get a sac fly. He, too, hit a weak comebacker to Cole. Surprisingly the runners held and Segura was out at first.
And then with the bases loaded, an easy fly to right. 3 more left on.
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In the last of the inning, Cervelli was safe on an Owings fumble. Caused me to wonder about our overall defense. Polanco singled to left on a great piece of hitting. first and second 0 out. Rodriguez was called out on strikes on a pitch way inside by Alfonso Marquez, who had one of the worst umpiring displays in recent memory today. Fortunately it went both ways. With one out, Cole comes up and surely Corbin would strike him out. About 430 feet later, we find the ball in the Pirates pen and the Bucs lead 3-1. Wonder if our scouting team knew he could hit.
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rounding first, Cole made a gesture that make him look like he had just hit a walkoff. As he crossed the plate, he gave a SERIOUSLY evil look into the Dbacks dugout and it was clear he was POed at us and was determined to win this game. #ColeTrain if you're on twitter, may have more on this.

Yep, we did something. We stunk it up smellier than the Allegheny County Landfill.
Herrmann dumped a single into center that Cutch, looked very clumsy in not catching. Maybe a late break, maybe uncatchable, but it didn't look like the Cutch we have come to know
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Owings then walked, causing Brown to complain that Marquez was badly missing pitches. Justifiably so. I think any one of the three blind mice could have called a better game today. Walk added that pitchers try to get hitters to swing at pitches not in the zone because pitchers do not get a lot of swings and misses with pitches in the zone, so he says adding that when umpires like Marquez blow calls, it messes it all up. You don't know what's a strike and what isn't
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Tomas comes up with the bases loaded and 1 out. Brown made a point of his .105 BA with the bases loaded. Cole carved him up like turkey and made him look like Juanita trying to hit the ball. Juanita is a barmaid in Tijuana. I figured in his second year, YT might be better and his average appears to be higher, but apparently he still can't deliver reliably when it counts.
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Corbin grounded out and there's 8 LOB in three innings against Cole, who was not having one of his better days, and I think he had such a case against the Dbacks, he was trying too hard.
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Bottom of the third:
Kang led off with a double on a 3-0 count. Walk then commented that with less than two strikes, you look for the pitch you want and get a hit. With two strikes you have to hit the pitcher's pitch. Nothing about the idea you HAVE to take a pitch on 3-0 or 3-1 because the idiot manager says that's how the game is played, which it isn't. I noted at this point how Hall wants us all to be positive, but it's impossible to be positive and honest with this team doing so many negative things on the field.

Oden must be talking about MLB players in general here.

In the top of the 5th, pizza is delivered to the Bucs pen. Walk commented that there is nothing to do in the bullpen so you eat pizza and make signs, camera focusing on Shark signs in the pen. This probably refers to the forthcoming NHL Cup finals where the Pens, should they win tonight, will face the San Jose Sharks, who, BTW, put on a dazzling display of spirit in wiping out the Blues last night for their first final ever.
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late in this inning, Cole reaches the 100 pitch mark but finishes the inning. You think a guy would be tired about this time. Not him. Strikes out three in a row to close out his performance leaving with a 3-1 lead, blissfully unaware that he is about to get screwed out of a W.

In the sixth, AJ Shoegal (Schugel) takes over and Brown comments that the Bucs pen is shorthanded today with Watson and Hughes not available. Brown does not know that the Dbacks bullpen is shorthanded today and everyone is available.
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he gets Owings, and then another disgusting K from the Cuban "phenom". Corbin then singles and then Segura hits one up the middle. Schugel, not in good fielding position, is facing first base as he tries to make a backhand stab, knocking the glove out of his hand and can't recover the ball in time. If he is squared up, he catches that easily. His lack of fielding competence cost the Pirates 2 runs. Goldy ties the game after 5 1/2.
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In the last of 6, Pirates have 1st and second 2 out and Corbin has 99 pitches. Josh Harrison is called on to pinch hit. Hale comes out and pulls Corbin, as according to the Diamondbacks Way, a pitcher is totally ineffective after 100 pitches, never mind what Cole just did.
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Barrett comes in and promptly goes 3-0 on Harrison. I suppose Hale thought it was the right move to bring in a righty to face the righty Harrison, but...on a 3-2 pitch Barrett delivers a fast ball down and away and Harrison nearly clears the right field barrier but it bounces off the wall and the Pirates are finally retired in the 6th leading 5-3.

This team is cruel to anyone that spends the time trying to recap games.

It is like a form of torture, watching them stumble around like this.

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Kevin Towers, not smarter than the so called experts

Top of 7. Hurdle calls in Kyle Slobstein (Lobstein) and with the count 2-0 on Lamb, Cervelli comes out and talks to his pitcher and gives him a loving pat on the neck and cheek. Slobstein throws the next two pitches not even close and Lamb walks on four.
Nice work, Cervelli. Doesn't look like you're a qualified pitching coach, except maybe with the Dbacks. Hurdle brings in Scahill, which indicates his bullpen is that desperate.
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The first thing he does is fire one right at Owings head, and as he spins away the helmet comes off. Owings then hits into a 6-4-3 and Tomas flies to Polanco in right and Scahill escapes (we let him off the hook) and the Pirates still lead 5-3
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bottom half: Randall Omigodno (Delgado) comes in and Cutch comes up and Brown immediately reminds us that he hasn't forgotten (you know what) and maybe never will. I thought then that it's a good idea the Dbacks and Pirates don't play in the same division. Cutch flied out. Freese walked.
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Hale wants the outfield deep presumably to prevent more runs in a no-doubles defense
This allows Kang to dump one into left for a single. This is important. If you have a defense that is playing you way back, the door is wide open to string singles and have a big inning. As we have seen many times, the Dbacks can string singles but not if they're in their pathetic mode of big swings and flyouts.
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Marte comes up and with the count 1-2, swings at one low and inside and the replay showed an obvious redirection of the ball showing that it hit the bat for a foul ball. Marquez says Marte missed it. Argument ensues and the Pirates don't call for a review
causing me to wonder if this kind of thing is even reviewable.
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Cervelli comes up and immediately it starts raining and raining hard. Vanover, the crew chief immediately signals for the game to be stopped. The head groundskeeper charges on to the field and tells Vanover this is only a passing spring shower and it will be easy to play right through it. Vanover changes his mind, when he should have checked with the groundscrew before looking stupid making a bad decision. It did rain for quite a while but didn't affect play. Cervelli gets on and the bases are loaded for Polanco
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Hale comes out and making a double switch bringing in Chafin and his .323 OBA. Chafin gets Polanco to ground out
5-3 and still manageable

I have masochistic tendencies

Part of the fun of bad sports teams is going online and complaining about it, but after a while you just start to think "why am I here every day making myself sit through this crap"

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Kevin Towers, not smarter than the so called experts

8th inning: The Dbacks had their big chance when Hurdle's bullpen "fillers" were out there - Schugel and Scahill. Feliz is called in and the Dbacks go quietly.
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Chafin comes out for the 8th. Rodriguez singles to left center, and tries for a double but the throw was way off to the left of second, otherwise he might have been out. Walk comments that Rodriguez had apparently planned to gamble. He said you have to make decisions before things happen so you'll know what you're going to do. The scoreboard is a big factor in those decisions, among other things. Walk said that the odds are against consistently making good throws right to the base, to which I say the odds thereof are at their best at this level. At lower levels, throws are less accurate.
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Joyce comes up as a pinch hitter which is a free out for us and he fans miserably.
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Mercer then comes up and hits a fly to center. Hale has the outfield deep again so deep that not even Bourn, and all his speed, can catch it and Jordy has a single. Rodriguez had to hold up and wait as he even thought Bourn had a shot at it, and goes to third.
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Cutch goes 1-1 on a wild pitch. A WIERD wild pitch, on what appeared to be Chafin's backfoot slider, it was going to the right as it hit the dirt, THEN took a sharp left turn getting Herrmann right in the jewel box. Mercer went to second but fortunately, the ball stayed in the plate area and Rodriguez had to hold third. At this point, Hale issues an intentional walk bringing up Freese.
* As the crowd booed, Herrmann and Chafin appeared to be in total confusion as to how to proceed. I got to wondering why Butcher didn't make an appearance at this foggy moment. Was he asleep? jerking off? or what. Freese hit a ball down third that had disaster written all over it but was foul by inches, causing Walk to say that the ball came off the corner of the plate causing it to go foul, but if it had come off the bigger part, it would have been fair. Walk said baseball is NOT a game of inches, it is a game of FRACTIONS of inches. Chafin then had his shining moment, as he fanned Freese on a fantastic breaker. Chaf at his finest. Chaf was rewarded by being removed from the game and Marshall brought in. "Oh good Heaven, it's Evan".
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I think I said that last night. Like a moth to the flame, we keep coming back.

With Kang coming up, it makes sense that you bring in a righty to face a righty, right?
Never mind that Chafin has just thrown as good a pitch as he has in his whole career, we gotta go with the percentages, right?
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By the time Kang smashed a single to left, and Marte followed with a double to the right field corner, Pitt had turned a 5-3 lead into an 8-3 lead. Out in the bullpen, Mark Melancon was confused. His save chance was gone, and he didn't know if he should keep warming up. Hurdle would later bring him in to close the game. When Marshall first came up, he seemed like he was pretty good. Only thing I can think of is this is what happens to pitchers when they stay in Arizona too long.
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Schugel got the win which is an embarassment in itself. Cole didn't have a good day but pitched better than Schugel did.
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To no one's surprise, Melancon took care of business in the 9th. Lamb got a scratch single. Drury got a break when Marquez called a ball foul at the plate which appeared to be fair but that was academic. So raise the Jolly Roger on a broomstick. Pirates get their sweep and we showed clearly we're not ready to play with the big boys.

There is no way TLR will be manager. He specifically said he is retired therefrom and even if he did, he knows he'd deserve to be fired so he is letting his little lieutenant, Hale, take the flak.

And when it was over, he had a ton of satisfaction to go with it. Clearly during this game, he was venting it over the Dbacks and wanted to win so bad he could taste it. Didn't get the W but he'll take the team W.

If all you know how to build is sand castles, then you can rebuild and rebuild and it will all be washed away with the incoming tides. Time will tell. If the Dbacks ever have a winner with TLR as CBO, then wonderful. If not, his legacy will be that of a good manager and a poor CBO/team builder.

If the Pirates have lodged a complaint with the commissioner, they should. TLR was TOTALLY out of order to interfere with the live broadcast and the FCC may have something on that also. I guess TLR is that big a DICK.
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Brown said this goes back even further than Cutch-Goldy. There was an incident between the Pirates' McDonald and Aaron Hill. We know Towers supposedly fired Steve Nagy for not retaliating by hitting other batters, so Towers advocated retaliation so maybe it all starts with him.
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Throwing at hitters intentionally IS illegal so if someone wants to make an accusation, file it with the Commissioner's office and hopefully those big shots can take their mind off money long enough to handle it.

Maybe you just started watching sports, or politics, but people all the time say they're done doing certain things, only to change their mind when the right opportunity presents to them.

TLR may indeed never intend to manage again. But I don't believe it to be fact just because he said so.